FAQ

Our current worldwide membership is 109.  The majority of these are based in England; however we are also well-represented in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and overseas.  A full list of AAPGAI instructors, together with their locations, qualifications and contact details can be found here.

No.  There are three disciplines in which the Association offers certification: single handed casting, double handed casting and fly dressing. Some of our members hold qualifications in all three; others prefer to specialise in one or two.

Within each discipline there are three levels of qualification: Professional, Advanced and Master.  At the very least an AAPGAI instructor will hold the Professional qualification relative to his or her chosen discipline(s); however all full members are qualified to Advanced level and some hold the optional Master qualification. Our qualifications and the process of becoming an AAPGAI instructor are covered in more detail here. See our Find an Instructor page for the qualifications of all our members and the nearest instructors to you that meet your requirements.

The majority of our members are male; however we have three very popular female instructors: Gilly Bate (Hampshire, England: single hand advanced), Sue Macniven (Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland: single hand advanced; double hand advanced) and Tiggy Pettifer (Powys, Wales: single hand professional; double hand advanced).

Yes.  The Association takes its welfare commitments extremely seriously and all our members hold full public liability insurance with a £5,000,000.00 indemnity limit.  Instructors can benefit from AAPGAI’s own insurance policy by paying a higher annual membership fee, or they may make their own arrangements.  Either way, a valid insurance certificate is a prerequisite of membership and all our clients are entitled to proof of an AAPGAI instructor’s insurance.

There is currently no requirement for all our members to hold a First Aid qualification; however many of our instructors do and all are strongly advised to gain such a qualification.  It is certainly a prerequisite for AAPGAI members involved in teaching children and vulnerable adults.  Instructors with First Aid qualifications are also expected to undergo all necessary refresher training in order to remain qualified, current and competent.  Our clients are entitled to request proof of an AAPGAI instructor’s First Aid qualifications.

Many of our members have taught and continue to teach children.  AAPGAI has a professional and rigorous child protection policy that is regularly reviewed and enforced across the Association.  This demands that all members involved in teaching children undergo enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, together with initial and periodic refresher training in child protection policies and procedures.  They must also hold a current First Aid qualification.  All clients are entitled to view our child protection policy and request proof that an AAPGAI instructor meets the necessary requirements.

Use our Find an Instructor page to locate your nearest AAPGAI member and get in touch with them using the contact details provided. Explain to them exactly what you are looking for and what you hope to get out of a session with an instructor. They will talk through your requirements with you and arrange a suitable day’s fly fishing or fly dressing tuition.

Rather than seeking specific tuition, some of our clients (in particular those who are more experienced) are keen to arrange for a local expert to accompany them on a particular still, running or salt water venue that they have not fished before.  Many AAPGAI members are happy to offer this service and anyone wishing to book a guiding session should first contact their local instructor.  If, for whatever reason, they are unable to provide exactly what you are looking for, then they will certainly be able to refer you to another Association member who can.

The Association itself does not offer courses other than those aimed at potential instructors. Many individual members, however, run a variety of courses on different aspects of fly fishing and fly dressing for all ability levels.  Recent courses offered include an introduction to river fly fishing, a beginners’ ‘tie a fly, catch a fish’ day on a small stream, single-handed Spey casting, wild brown trout fishing on large stillwaters, boat-handling skills and hill tarn fishing in the Lake District. Contact your local AAPGAI instructor to find out if they are currently offering courses and keep an eye on our Upcoming Events and Facebook pages.

Many AAPGAI members offer gift vouchers through their own businesses. Contact them directly for further details.

Yes, we do!  Many of our members give well-received casting, fishing and fly dressing demonstrations and presentations to both local and national bodies, for an agreed fee.  Recent topics include presentation techniques for dry fly fishing, casting with shooting heads, single-handed Spey casting, developments in modern European-inspired nymph fishing, double-handed casting with sinking lines, the history of the John Storey fly and the dressing of traditional feather-wing salmon flies.  If you have an upcoming event (such as an AGM, on-the-water gathering or Fly Dressers Guild branch meeting) and would like AAPGAI to assist in making your day a success, please do not hesitate to get in touch and discuss your requirements with our PR Officer who will advise on how to proceed.